Poison
by PIDAY2000
Summary: When Ms Mauvais first met Cass, she planned for the future. She poisoned her elixir so that she would die five years if she wasn't given the antidote. Max-Ernest and Yo-Yoji now have to travel the world to find out what the antidote is and where to find it.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_The last thing that Cass wanted was to drink something specially brewed by Ms Mauvais, but Owen was watching. So she took a tentative sip._

That same morning, Ms Mauvais had been in the kitchen. Not the kitchen where the meals for the guests were prepared, but in the alchemy kitchen. The preparing of the magical elixirs was a task reserved exclusively for the leader of the Midnight Sun. But today Ms Mauvais was preparing a very special elixir for a very special guest.

Her golden glittering dress and jewelry was covered by a white lab-coat marked in the back in golden thread with a sun. She stood in front of a black stone table looking scarily like a sacrificial altar. The table was cluttered with vials and test tubes containing sizzling liquids and gelatinous substances brought from faraway lands by Midnight Sun agents. The delicate gloved hand poured the contents of the test tubes one by one into a small witches' cauldron standing on the table. Underneath it was a multicolored fire like the one on the lantern on top of the pyramid. The last vial to be emptied was sitting at a corner of the table. An innocent emerald liquid with small bubbles gently bobbing to the surface and popping. Innocent until you saw the label on the back. A skull with crossbones. Poison. Just in case…

The girl was the heir of the Jester. It was clear as day. She might destroy the Midnight Sun. But she could also be their only chance to get the Secret. If they recruited her before the Terces Society got a chance to, they would be invincible. If not, she would die five years after drinking the elixir, if it could be called that. Of course, she could be easily cured with the right antidote, but just in case…

During the following years Ms Mauvais grew to hate the young girl. She regretted not killing her on the spot. But she knew that she _would _die. And she, Ms Mauvais, would be responsible for it, for if she couldn't have the secret, then nobody would.

**Okay. This is hopefully going to be long. I can't really remember what happened at the end of the last book, so if my details are wrong, don't blame me. I won't have access to the book until school starts again. **


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The one sip of the elixir Cass took coursed through her body, dormant, waiting for its time to come.

Cass was sitting in the back of the class of first period history. Now in eleventh grade, she was seemingly unchanged. She still carried around her old backpack from when she was eleven. She was still friends with Max-Ernest and Yo-Yoji. She was still a survivalist. Most important, she was still a member of the Terces Society. She still protected the Secret.

Now that Pietro was gone, banished to the Other Side, the trio were the official leaders of the Terces Society. Even so, Mr. Wallace was the one who made the decisions. It had been years since they had heard of the Midnight Sun, but they were still out there. They still wanted the Secret. But they were weakened, divided. Which made them harder to track down. Lost in thought, Cass came to focus. She noticed she had sunspots in her eyes. Why would she have sunspots? She was indoors. She started to feel faint. Her vision continued blurring and she found herself passing out. The only thing she felt was detached curiosity. Why was she always the victim when emergencies happened? She was supposed to be the expert… Why….

* * *

Max-Ernest was the first to notice that Cass had collapsed. She was slumped on her desk; arms limp on the sides of her chair. Max-Ernest tapped Yo-Yoji urgently. He turned around wildly and looked at Max-Ernest accusingly.

"What do you want bro, I was thinking up a new song for the band?"

"_Look at Cass_," he said pointing. Yo-Yoji looked down for the first time.

"Oh. What do you think happened?"

"We should tell someone. People don't just faint for no reason. She could have had stroke, or she could be in another coma, or maybe orthostatic hypotension. I guess that isn't usually fatal, but she should get it checked out anyway…"

"Dude, calm down." Yo-Yoji raised his hand. "Miss, um, it's Cass, she's…"

**Yay chapter 1. These chapters keep getting shorter and shorter. I had more to say, but wasn't really inspired... Also first review on the day I published it. This is probably a record for me. Thank you Liliana28.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Another chapter hurray. When I was writing this it sounded very sentimental (mainly because of the music I was listening to at the time). I don't know if it's as sentimental when you read it, so, just in case I want you to listen to the same music while you read it. Before you do anything, play Skyfall by Adele. Got it? Good, now you can start reading. If you don't like that song, just play anything else that's sentimental. I mean it. **

Cass woke up in a black room. Well, room isn't really the right word to describe it. It was just black _space_. And woke isn't really the word either. She materialized. Just like when she went back in time with Señor Hugo's chocolate. _How curious. I must be dreaming this. _

Then she noticed a light coming from a distance. She squinted. Yes, it was definitely light. She started walking towards it. Even though everything was black, Cass could perceive where she was; it was as if she could see herself and everything around her. But there was nothing there. This is even more confusing than the time-travel chocolate, she thought, annoyed.

After walking for kilometers, or maybe after no time at all, she reached the source of the light. There were five hourglasses, each taller than a tree, filled with shining light. The first one was slowly letting the sand through the minuscule hole. The other four weren't letting any sand through. It was as if they were timers on pause. Something about the hourglasses, beautiful as they were, sent shivers down Cass' back.

* * *

Max-Ernest got out of the elevator marked PICU. Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. It brought back a wave of memories. He remembered all the times he had been there before. Both for his own emergencies and for when Cass went into comma three years before. But this was different. He had no idea why this happened. It was out of his control. Last time she knew the risks. She agreed to go to her past. There had been a way to get her back. And if there was something that Max-Ernest disliked more than something illogical, it was something out of his control. Something he couldn't do anything about.

The doctors had found traces of poison. Very slow-acting venom. It could have entered her body up to five years previously. But they had no antidote. They had no idea where one could be found. And without an antidote, Cass would die in five days, no more, no less.

If Cass' mother had gone into hysterics the first time, she had almost fainted when she heard this. She wouldn't eat. She wouldn't do anything. She just stayed at home, immobile, sitting in the same chair in the living room. Grandpa Larry and grandpa Wayne had done all they could for her. But they were also devastated. Why did everything happen to this family, this one girl, all the neighbors wondered. Cass' mother wondered this too. Why did everything happen to her little girl?

Well, this was nothing compared to what Max-Ernest felt. Cass had been his first friend. His only friend. She had opened the door to the Terces Society. To the Secret. To a meaningful life. And now she was gone. She was going to die. There was nothing he could do about it. But he wouldn't give up without a fight.

By the time he got to Cass' room at the hospital, he couldn't get himself to open the door. He just stood at the door, motionless, silent. Silent for the second time in his life. After five minutes, he turned back. Moping about wouldn't help him. He would go give the circus a visit. He couldn't find the mysterious antidote on his own.


End file.
